Conceptual Materials Social Practice Artist
I have been having surreal time lapsed dreams of making this work since May.
The net/weaving is 8’x6′ and weighs about 100LBs so far and I havent started wrapping beading or pulling zip ties on yet.
Did you ever play dress up in you parents closet as a child? I did.
This body of work recreates the act of rummaging through my mom’s closet except i went through my own closet and storage unit to rediscover treasures I had squirrelled away.
See this work at Be the Light now on view through until August 22, 2021 at Bridge Art Gallery 199 Broadway, Bayonne NJ https://www.bridgeartgallery.net/
Have a peak at Heights Over Springfield in the TSGNY June Member’s Show and view all the member’s work. I hope you find as much inspiration from looking at these works as I have.
My weaving, You Are So Articulate, is currently displayed at the 2021 New Jersey Arts Annual: ReVision and Respond at The Newark Museum of Art.
Each piece of yarn used to in this weaving is representative of a particular conversation where I was acknowledged for being able to express my thoughts and ideas. As you can see this conversation comes up quite a bit.
You Are So Articulate comes in many forms, including…
you speak so well… you are well read… you speak white… and even “that went better than I was expecting”, comment after I nail the presentation.
Telling someone they are well-spoken is a back handed compliment. It carries the connotation that, it is unusual for someone Black to be intelligent.
The completed weaving is displayed on a DYI loom, as if, it is a work in progress because some version of this conversation, continues still, till this very day.
Being alive means having the capacity to carry past experiences and learn from them. But there is a point when this emotional baggage becomes too much. Carrying too much emotional baggage can literally stop us from being open to new experiences and growth.
How we choose to handle our baggage makes a difference. We have the choice to let it define us or to let it go and move forward.
With it’s festive pom poms and colorful African print fabric, Mind Over Matter is meant as a reminder that racial bias does not define me. It is a celebration of identity.
Inspiration…
Interpretation…
As a child, I wanted to take ballet. When my mom took me to the dance school, the teacher took one look at me and told me I was better suited for Jazz/Tap because my skin tone would not match the point shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I love Jazz/Tap, but I never got a pair of point shoes and still regret this to this day.
Sunrise and Morning Dew
The ornamental grasses on my roof deck sway gently,
with the breeze.
Holding droplets of dew , while the sun rises.
The light dancing between the high rises,
in boomerang reflection.
Warming the air and evaporating the pearl like droplets,
into vapor.
While in lockdown during the first month of the Pandemic, I decided to organize my closet and clean out my storage unit.
While sorting through my things, childhood memories of playing dress up in my mother’s clothes flooded my brain.
I recreated this moment with this installation.
I was blown away how the choreographers and dancers used my Ponytails and Door Knocker Earrings as if it is another dancer in their work.
I love how the video was shot and edited. My hair totems have been truly brought to life.
Watch to see for yourself.
The gallery exhibition of PEOPLE PLACE DISRUPTION will be up at the Nimbus Arts Center on Sundays from 11am – 2pm with 20 minute reservable spots through May 22 : https://ppdgallery.eventbrite.com